crossposted with permission;
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From: "J" <jwindh@m...>
Date: Fri Oct 15, 2004 5:51 pm
Subject: FOR ALL ONTARIO DOG OWNERS
I am so upset right now I can barely think straight. I began listening to
Ontario Attorney General's live press conference where he is indeed going
through to propose province-wide BSL and was so outraged I had to turn it off.

Since previous emails to Mr. Bryant have gone unanswered I have, this morning,
been on the phone with the provincial office of the Attorney General, and will
be calling the federal office today as well. I will not be stopping until Mr.
Bryant has agreed to my request for an appointment - I am asking for one hour,
not unreasonable I think considering I've devoted the last five years of my life
to rescuing abused, neglected and abandoned dogs, focussing on the American Pit
Bull and Staffordshire Terriers. I am extremely motivated at this moment that
Mr. Bryant is announcing his plans to ban ALL "Pit Bulls" from the entire
province, especially considering he is making NO effort to meet with or listen
to breed experts, responsible breeders, or people like myself who know and
understand the breed through personal experience.

I NEED HELP from you right now. Unfortunately I am temporarily holding three
jobs, taking a university course, mid-move, running Barlee's and volunteering
for St John Ambulance Therapy Dogs. I am going to put together a package and
whatever time I am able to get with Mr. Bryant needs to be utilized FULLY -
every single second. If he is going to listen to ANYTHING at all, I will need
evidence or proof of all the claims I make. If I am going to be considered
credible at all I need to be beyond fully prepared.

I am outlining below what I am asking from anyone in the dog community:

2 - verifiable accounts of misidentification of dogs who have injured people
being labelled as APBTs/ASTs/SBTs

3 - verifiable accounts of non-APBT/AST/SBT dogs who have injured people (nb I
will NOT be pointing any fingers at any other breeds, and will not identify what
breeds they are, just that these incidents did not involve "Pit Bulls")

4 - verifiable statistical information on serious dog attacks in Ontario where
breed identification is available (with proof of breed via papers/pictures etc;
again, which breed it was will not be addressed unless necessary, just that the
breed was not a "Pit Bull")

5 - verifiable stats re numbers of "Pit Bulls" in the general population,
proportionally adjusted stats on bites, etc (these may or may not be referenced
but the point will be made that they are of NO USE if they are not adjusted to
reflect the abundance of the various breeds)

8 - legitimate, referencable information on a) breed traits of the APBT/AST/SBT;
b) genetic component of temperament; c) the difference between
human-aggression and dog-aggression as unrelated traits in dogs

9 - pictures of APBTs/ASTs/SBTs with children; with the elderly; working or
volunteering (therapy, service, SAR, narcotics, etc); family pictures that
include the family "Pit Bull" - anything that is realistic, truthful, and which
shows what MOST of these dogs are like

10 - copies of effective dangerous dog bylaws which are NOT breed-specific as
samples

11 - verifiable statements/releases etc from any credible organizations faulting
BSL (eg the AVMA study), the more unbiased (eg put out by orgs other than Pit
Bull advocates) the better

Please take the time to mail anything that you can to the Barlee's address, and
please help us by including a cover sheet stating exactly what information is
enclosed in your package. Please note that any information sent is assumed that
we have permission to use.

I am also asking for ANY AND ALL owners of APBTs/ASTs/SBTs to take the time
right now and have your dog, if they are capable, take the Canine Good Citizen
test. Even more, I am asking that you consider investing a couple of hours a
week into doing therapy work with your Pit Bull, if they are capable. Someone
who says "my Pit Bull has a sound temperament and is not a danger" have MUCH
more credibility if they can back it up with unbiased assessments supporting
your claim. The people on the street who recoil are usually surprised when they
hear that the "Pit Bull" is a therapy dog or whatnot. I think Bryant has
strategically chosen to grandfather existing dogs for one reason only - because
the people affected, who would oppose this, won't worry and will be complacent
since their dog is fine. He said outright this morning that "Pit Bull owners"
will finance all his proposals; muzzle laws, $1 mill liability requirements,
huge dog license fees for people who have Pit Bulls. THIS AFFECTS US ALL and
NOW is the time to act.

What is this person's contact information? I know someone that is interested in sending him/her some stuff.. please post the contact info if possible so i can pass it on to them.

Thank you.

Akeeter

October 15th, 2004, 11:44 PM

http://www.barlees.org
There is contact info on their web page, the bottom icon. (Barlee's Angels Rescue.

beddows

October 16th, 2004, 10:35 AM

I may have agreed a few days ago until my dog was attacked. My dog was on leash, the pit bull was not. The pit bull just went for him unprovoked & grabbed him by the haunches, the owner did nothing to try & stop it. I had steel toe boots on & kicked the dog in the head as hard as I could & got him in the eye. I then scooped my dog up. He had puncher marks, the pit bull was in worse shape. Fortunately there were witnesses as the pit bulls owner became abusive. He was not supposed to have the dog off leash in the area. I don't know why someone would choose to own this breed of dog. Unfortunately they usually attract people who should never own dogs, anyway. Personally I think they should be banned with currently owned dogs grandfathered.

LavenderRott

October 16th, 2004, 11:04 AM

I am curious as to why you think that the dog is responsible? Don't you think that the owner should be punished?

If the dog that attacked your dog had been a labrador retreiver, would you still hold the dog solely responsible for this?

BTW, one of the most famous pairs of search and rescue dogs in the U.S. are pit bulls. They reside in California, I believe.

pitbulliest

October 16th, 2004, 11:42 AM

beddows. I think its very sad that you were involved in this situation, but as Lavender has explained..its not the fault of the dog, but the owners. THAT IS WHY we need stronger laws that punish people that are not taking the responsibility to ensure that their dog is well behaved, socialized, and ON LEASH in a public area. These dogs were bred for fighting other animals, and to think that they will never attack another dog is naive.

But to blame the breed and say that the solution is to ban it out is completely absurd to me. This owner didn't have the dog on a leash, nor did he even attempt to pull his dog off...People like that shouldn't be owning pit bull terriers in the first place. Admittingly, my pit bull is dog aggressive, but I take all the necessary steps to ensure that nobody's pet is put into danger, including my own.

I do hope you research the breed a little more and one day will change your mind. They are truely wonderful dogs...that just end up in the wrong hands :(

heeler's rock!

October 16th, 2004, 11:51 AM

I am finding it really hard to control my emotions right now. We are talking about a mass destruction of pit bulls, and you are basing it all on ONE BAD EXPERIENCE!!! Are you sure it was even a pit bull? Even if it is a pit bull, do you not hold the owner responsible? So if your child is left at daycare and another child hits him/her, you blame the child and not the parent? Shouldn't the parent be teaching their kids about right and wrong?

Thousands of pits are most likely going to be PTS in shelters because they will no longer be able to be adopted out in Ontario, and you are cheering for all of it to happen, based on one irresponsible owner......this is so sad. If you had numerous attacks by solely pits happen to you or your dog, then maybe it would make some sense. But to base an opinion on one incident, is not a reasonable assesment. Not all pits are bad, and not all owners are bad!

I may have agreed a few days ago until my dog was attacked. My dog was on leash, the pit bull was not. The pit bull just went for him unprovoked & grabbed him by the haunches, the owner did nothing to try & stop it. I had steel toe boots on & kicked the dog in the head as hard as I could & got him in the eye. I then scooped my dog up. He had puncher marks, the pit bull was in worse shape. Fortunately there were witnesses as the pit bulls owner became abusive. He was not supposed to have the dog off leash in the area. I don't know why someone would choose to own this breed of dog. Unfortunately they usually attract people who should never own dogs, anyway. Personally I think they should be banned with currently owned dogs grandfathered.

Lucky Rescue

October 16th, 2004, 11:53 AM

I'm puzzled. This is an abusive, irresponsible moron with an off leash dog, who did nothing to prevent this incident, and you blame a dog??

I guess I should be calling for boxers to be banned, since two of them attacked my dog? :confused:

glasslass

October 16th, 2004, 12:44 PM

Beddows, Den-Den was also attacked last July by my neighbors dogs that came thru the fence. You can look back at that thread. It tells the whole story. There were 6 dogs in their yard when I looked over the fence later - 3 pitts, a rot, a german shorthair, and a lab. There were no signs of aggression before, and the dogs were getting along afterwards. How it happened, I don't know, but one had Den-Den by the throat and the other by his back leg. Things happened so fast and I was so traumatized that I honestly did not know which dogs attacked him. I've never blamed these dogs. But I did blame myself for not being more diligent about the condition of the fence and I blamed the irresponsible neighbors. I have been the "Gladys Kravich from hell" ever since. Last month, they moved! Halleluja!

Main points here:
1. Neighbors were irresponsible
2. I could have done more to keep my dog safe.
3. I don't know which dogs attacked him.
If both dogs were pittbulls, I probably wouldn't have been successful in saving him.

chico2

October 16th, 2004, 05:17 PM

Beddows,I am really sorry for your dog,the idiot who had his dog loose,should have had his head kicked in with a steal-toe boot :sick:
I take it you are an animal-lover,but still would have no problem with a mass-killing of mostly innocent dogs,because your dog was attacked sad
I think the whole thing is a very sad day in Ontario and but I am not surprised at our politicians,after all they had no qualms about killing 13.000 coons and foxes this summer,all in a days work for our government sad
At first I thought,so the dogs have to wear muzzles,not a big deal!!But what I thought was a muzzle was called a"Gentle leader",a muzzle is a horrific thing,made out of leather and wire...and if I had a Pit-bull there would be no way I would put one of those on my dog,I would take my chances on a fine

tyr

October 16th, 2004, 08:22 PM

Akeeter

I just received an email from Sonny Allinson from the Canadian Kennel Club who has taken part in the fight againt the BSL. He is actually participating as one of the acting panels in all discussions involving Mr. Bryant and his tyrannical banscapade. He sent me this link which is to the CKC's own website with up-to-date info on everything that has been going on and the discussions. Not too much can be disclosed at this time but I thought it would be helpful and that you would enjoy the information this site gives. Sonny is quick to respond to the emails sent to him at sallinson@ckc.ca or if sent through the Contact Us link on the site. Maybe he can provide you with some answers that you are in need of or information.

http://www.ckc.ca/default-refresh.asp

Sheriffmom

October 17th, 2004, 10:09 AM

Hi, I will send these articles out to you as well, but thought I should post here in case they don't get to you in time.
Los Angeles- Sept 21 2001- Pomeranian Kills 6wk old baby. The Jist- Baby left unattended, got mauled, died of severe head injuries.
St.Mary's County Md- In Washington Herald- Dashund kills baby. The Jist- Dashund chews through mesh on playpen, attacks and mauls baby.

Kentucky 1979 (Trying to find article)- Dashund mauls newborn. Baby had to have legs amputated, later died from infection.

Again, I will send articles. Hope they help. Also I will keeep searching.